Page 185 - lake-city-florida-a-sesquicentennial-tribute-(h-morris-williams-kevin-mccarthy)-2009

Lake City, Florida: A Sesquicentennial Tribute (2009) H. Morris Williams, Dr. Kevin M. McCarthy

Chapter Fourteen: 1940 - 1949
Columbia High School football

In 1949, local officials rededicated the local football field and
named it Memorial Stadium in honor of those who had served in World
War II. It would be the scene of many Tigers’ football games and
other local events. Not only did CHS teams play there, but the all-
black Richardson High School Wolves also played there in pre-
integration days. In fact, RHS hosted the annual Turpentine Bowl at a
time when such bowl games among black teams were rare.

In 1949, CHS defeated heavily favored Tallahassee Leon 7-
0 in the first football game at the newly named Memorial Stadium.
The CHS coach was Bill Armstrong, and the CHS captains were
Tommy Ives and Jesse Thomas (both CHS 1950). CHS

sophomore fullback Gene Cox scored the only touchdown in that
CHS-Leon game. He later went into coaching and, ironically, coached
28 years at that same Leon High School he had helped defeat. Tommy
Ramsey (CHS 1950) kicked the extra point in that game.

The CHS win was the first over Leon in 15 years and caused
shock waves in Tallahassee. Tallahassee Democrat sports writer
Fred Pettijohn wrote the following comment the next day in the
Democrat: “Leon’s loss cast a pall of gloom over our city that hasn’t
been equaled for density since the old Leon Hotel burned down on
Oct. 14, 1925, under a billowing screen of smoke.”

Gene Cox is
pictured in recent
years with two
other CHS grads:
Pat Summerall
and Morris
Williams.

181

www.LakeCityHistory.com LCH-UUID: 7C3282B3-DDE1-49C3-985A-3A9C9467368D